"I spoke with Rep. Tony Gonzales, they're being overwhelmed by unprecedented numbers — just hit an all-time high and still growing!"
By Anna Giaritelli
AUSTIN, Texas (Texas Insider Report) — Billionaire businessman Elon Musk will travel this week to Eagle Pass, the epicenter of the southern border crisis where thousands of immigrants continue to stream across the U.S.-Mexico boundary, only to be let into the country following arrest.
The Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder announced early Tuesday he would join Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) for a personal tour of the south-central Texas region, beating President Joe Biden to visit the chaos in person.
"I spoke with Rep. Tony Gonzales tonight — he confirmed that it is a serious issue. They are being overwhelmed by unprecedented numbers — just hit an all-time high and still growing!" Musk wrote on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
"Am going to visit Eagle Pass later this week to see what's going on for myself."
Musk has recently drawn significant international attention to the situation at the southern border through his posts on social media.
Last week, Musk reacted to a Washington Examiner report that concluded immigrant encounters by Customs & Border Protection peaked in August at the highest monthly number in history: 304,162.
On Tuesday, Musk drew attention to how immigrants released at the border have traveled to cities and severely strained the budgets of even major ones, including New York City.
For years, the Democratic-run city has painted itself as a welcoming place for immigrants illegally residing in the country, offering driver's licenses and financial aid, as well as protecting those with criminal convictions from arrest by federal officers with Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
Gonzales visited the border in Eagle Pass on Monday with a handful of his Republican colleagues from the House.
"It's time to lead, follow, or get out of the way," Gonzales (right,) said during a press conference on Monday afternoon.
"House Republicans are leading, and it's time for Joe Biden to get out of the way. If he gets out of the way, we can solve this border crisis."
"Everyone who is crossing between a port of entry is coming in illegally. They should not be rewarded," Gonzales said.
"They should not be rewarded with work visas. They should not be rewarded with free bus rides and plane tickets everywhere. There has to be repercussions."
Under the Biden administration, federal border officials have encountered immigrants more than 7 million times, far beyond any other period in history.
To date, more than 2 million people have been released into the United States, most of whom with notices to appear in immigration court years down the road about their unlawful entry.
Anna Giaritelli joined the Washington Examiner in 2015 and focuses on homeland security, immigration, and border issues. Currently based in Austin, Texas, she has traveled to the border on more than 50 occasions since 2018, covering human smuggling, the evolution of the war on drugs, domestic terrorism, and migration trends. Follow Anna on Twitter @Anna_Giaritelli.
